Anthony took his awesome beard to a beard competition for the first time. He tells of the experience below.
I entered my first beard competition, the “1st Annual Hartford Facial Hair Face Off” hosted by The Greater Hartford Beard and Mustache Club. The event took place at Sully’s Pub in Hartford, Connecticut. There were ten different categories to compete in, including full beard natural, full beard groomed, playoff beard, natural mustache, styled mustache, partial beard natural, partial beard styled, ladies most realistic fake beard/mustache, ladies most creative fake beard/mustache, and freestyle. I competed in the full beard groomed category. The requirements limited each competitor to six inches below the bottom lip. At the time of competition, my beard was four inches below my bottom lip. So I was at a disadvantage from the start.
On the day of competition I arrived a few hours early to settle into the hotel and get something to eat. I showered, waxed up the beard, got dressed and put my game face on to prepare for competition. I showed up to the event on time and registered as soon as I got there. As I looked around, I started to analyze all the beards around me to try and figure out who would be competing against me. I was very intimidated and nervous because of the fact that competitors came from different states and I knew it was going to be a serious battle. As soon as competition started, and after meeting different people, I could tell that my perspective on the event was totally wrong. It was not just about winning; it was about having a good time and congratulating everyone on their beard-growing efforts.
The competition was organized by introducing one category at a time, with each competitor in order to be scored by the judges. When my name was called up, I walked up to the stage and ripped open my button-down shirt to show off the beard shirt I was wearing underneath. At the end of the night I found out that I scored a 42/50 in the full beard groomed category. I was very happy with the result, since it was my first competition and because it was a solid score. The event raised over 2,500 dollars for the Connecticut-based non-profit Breast Cancer Emergency Aid Foundation. It was a great experience and I am looking forward to the next competition.
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